Beyond Folders : communication

"Why Didn't I Think of That?" Tips for Job-Hunters

Community Manager — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 13:28:00 GMT

Job hunting is increasingly a complicated endeavor. Tired of hearing "don't call us, we'll call you?" We've rounded up some creative job hunting tips to get you from prospective candidate to paid employee.

The Best Job Hunting Advice You'll Ever Receive:
This Huffington Post piece can be summed up in a nutshell: work harder than anybody else. Well-worth a read, the article encourages job hunters to forget about redoubling efforts to find a job but instead triple that effort. Bottom line: those that try hardest get ahead.

Seven Radical Steps for Career Changers:
This Fast Company article says to forget the conventional wisdom that job hunters should build a personal brand and work their network to find a job. Instead, the author advocates identifying the 5-6 companies where an applicant wishes to work and persuading those companies that you offer them value. Bottom line: It's about them, not you.

20 Mind Blowing Creative Resumes:
Looking for a resume to set you apart from the pack? The wildly creative resumes in this article are attention getting to say the least. While out-of-the-box resumes are probably best used by applicants in the graphic design or creative fields, any job hunter can benefit from the examples of creative ways to package oneself. Bottom line: You need to stand apart from the pack.

10 Out Of the Box Job Hunting Tips:
Business Week has a list of useful tips, although they aren't as unconventional as the headline suggests. The best tip in our book? Check out Craigslist for job listing from small business and start-ups. Bottom line: Don't leave any stone unturned.

Finally, we leave you with a fun article for any job hunter who has ever worried they'll be sidelined with an unexpected interview question: Offbeat Interview Questions Asked to Make You Think. Bottom line: There is no right answer, just opportunities to demonstrate you are undaunted by challenges.

Do you have creative tips for job hunting? Share your out-of-the-box advice here and at the Pendaflex Facebook page.

From Dorm Room to Desk: What I Wish I Knew When I Started My First Job

Community Manager — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 18:40:00 GMT

Smart grads know hindsight is 20-20, so shorten the learning curve in your first job with been-there, done-that insight from experts further along the career path. Our round-up of advice offers both big picture wisdom and concrete, in-the-weeds details that will have you hitting the ground running.

Details, Details

You know the old aphorism about first impressions: make a good one. Be punctual, be polite and put in full days right off the bat. Other tips for impressing include learning co-workers' names and avoiding office gossip. For more ideas, read Your First Days Working at a New Job: 20 Tips to Help You Make a Great Impression.

The Big Picture (Can Take a While to Come into Focus)

Author, speaker and career coach Curt Rosengren encourages young professionals not to obsess about making the "right" choice when selecting a job or career. In The Most Important Piece of Career Advice for New Grads, Rosengren advocates viewing the first few years of work as "R & D" for a career arc. The odds of clocking 50-years at one job and retiring with a gold pocket watch are slim to none, so rather than obsessing about making the quote, unquote right choice, new hires should commit to continually making choices.

Rosengren urges novice employees to find a path that seems appealing and then to continually ask, "Is this work something I am passionate about?" and "What don't I like about this work?" Using the first few years as "research and development" for a career trajectory can allow a person to continually reset: exposure to different jobs and roles will provide a deeper understanding of what energizes and inspires you and betters the odds of achieving meaningful work.

What is the one thing you wish you knew when you started work? What piece of advice would you give your young self at that first real job? Share your thoughts here and at the Pendaflex Facebook page.

How to Motivate Others

Community Manager — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 12:14:00 GMT

Celebrity journalist Katie Couric's latest project is a book of collected wisdom from fellow celebrities the world-over. In the Best Advice I Ever Got, Couric offers wisdom from personalities as diverse as New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, "Eighty percent of success is showing up...early," to comedian Jimmy Kimmel, "when in doubt, order the hamburger."

Couric says her book is meant to inspire readers, to help them find "passion" in what they do. Couric is on to something. Motivating others to achieve peak performance not only feels good, it produces good work. Looking for ways to enhance productivity by motivating your team? Two excellent articles, Managing and Motivating Employees in their Twenties and Making Sure Your Employees Succeed offer concrete advice on moving employees from zero to 60.

Highlights include useful dos and don'ts such as:

Do:

Connect individuals' goals to broader organization objectives
Show employees that you are a partner in achieving their goals
Learn about and incorporate employees' personal interests into their professional goals

Don't:

Allow employees to set goals alone
Take a hands-off approach to high performers - they need input and feedback to meet their goals as well
Ignore failures - be sure people have the opportunity to learn when they don't achieve goals

How do you motivate direct reports? Have you benefited from any motivational techniques? Share your thoughts here and at the Pendaflex Facebook page.

Keep Calm and Carry On: Managing a Crisis

Community Manager — Wed, 25 May 2011 12:44:00 GMT

The headlines say it all: Give Apple "F" in Crisis Management and Japan's Prime Minister Blasted Over Crisis Management. Crises come in all shapes and sizes: from natural disasters to management missteps to product failures. Fend off a tsunami of criticism by arming yourself with the tools to manage catastrophes before they happen.

Effective crisis management boils down to two criteria: the ability to make good decisions under enormous pressure and the capacity to manage crisis communications.

Looking for guidance on making decisions during those back-up-against-the-wall moments? We like the advice in How to Make a High-Stakes Decision. Tips include fact-checking your gut reactions and being wary of drawing on past experiences at the expense of underestimating current realities. Other wise counsel? Involving other smart thinkers in the decision-making process.

Weathering a catastrophe also requires the ability to navigate crisis communications with a sure hand. Communication missteps such as providing too little information or tone-deaf statements is like throwing oil on a fire: the resulting conflagration might well consume you. For must-heed advice read How to Communicate in a Crisis, a soup-to-nuts primer on navigating crisis-communications before the emergency unfolds.

What is the toughest crisis you've had to manage? How did you and your team navigate the crisis? Share your thoughts here and at the Pendaflex Facebook page.

by Bradley Eggers

When It’s Time to Move Jobs

Community Manager — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 13:33:00 GMT

Gone are the days when employees spent their entire work life at one job, retiring with a gold pocket watch. In today's work world, it's not uncommon to change jobs, or even careers, repeatedly.

People move jobs for all types of reasons: money, desire for new challenges, boredom, and bad bosses. Knowing when it's time for a change is tricky. In today's uncertain economy, a job in hand is not to be taken lightly. So how do you know when it's time to go?

We've assembled some resources that can help determine if it's time to pound the pavement, resume in hand. Take these Q & A's and see if you're ready to move on:

Time to Change Jobs...or Careers?

Q&A: Is it Time for a Job Change?

Top Ten Reasons to Quit Your Job

Before You Go

Once a move is in the works, set yourself up for a seamless transition by following the advice in these resources:

Finally, take pains to leave your current job on a good note. We like the advice in USA Today's How to Leave a Job Properly.

How do you know when it's time to switch jobs? Do you have any tips or strategies for leaving on a good note? Share your thoughts here and on the Pendaflex Facebook page.

by Candie Harris

How’s Your Body Language?

Community Manager — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 17:11:00 GMT

The Oscar winning movie The King's Speech gives the spoken word center stage but effective communicators know that body language plays a crucial supporting role.

Want to make a positive impression? Be sure your body language conveys confidence and poise. On your to-do list:

Smile
Make eye contact
Firm handshake
Erect posture, but not too stiff
Lean forward in your chair if seated

Negative non-verbal cues to avoid include:

Fidgeting
Clenched hands
Playing with your hair
Avoiding eye contact
Crossing your arms

Let Your Intention be Your Guide

Worried that remembering body language tips will hamper, rather than enhance, your communication style? Or perhaps you're skeptical about the importance of this "unspoken" language? Top communications coach and academic theorist Dr. Nick Moran advocates letting your subconscious be your guide. Dr. Moran argues that consciously trying to direct your body language can actual come across as phony.

Rather, Dr. Moran recommends forgetting about your body language and instead focusing on your intent. What emotion, or information, do you wish to convey? If you want to convey excitement, anger, poise or determination, your focus as a communicator should be on telegraphing that emotion. If you do so, Moran argues, your body language will unconsciously line up with that emotion. Bingo! Your body language is reinforcing your spoken word.

For more tips on persuasive public speaking, read Dr. Moran's series of posts on Forbes.com.

Are you influenced by a person's body language? Share your thoughts here and at the Pendaflex Facebook page.

by Candie Harris

Want a Promotion? What Not to Do.

Community Manager — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 18:00:00 GMT

Had an outstanding year at work? If you've met or beat sales expectations, landed a major client, or shepherded a complicated project to successful conclusion, it may be time to ask for a promotion. Before approaching your boss, do yourself a favor and read our list of what-not-to-do when gunning for a bump up in dollars or a new title.

Promotion Don'ts

Don't approach your boss at the wrong time. Work events, the hallway, and the water cooler are not the places to broach the subject of promotions. Schedule one-on-one time with your boss to make your case. Pick a time when your boss is most likely to be attentive and receptive.

Don't talk about why you need money. Your boss isn't beholden to help you pay for a mortgage, a third child or any other financial commitments. Bosses give raises for stellar work products. Make your case contingent on past results and future capacity. Define your value to the company.

Don't be annoying. There is a fine line between persistently making your case and hounding your boss. State your case and be sure to give your boss ample time to consider it. While it is fine to follow up and pursue your goal, don't bug your boss daily or each time you interact.

Don't threaten your boss. Making your case should not be confused with making threats. Threatening to quit if you don't get a raise or promotion is one of the quickest ways to get shown the door.

Don't get discouraged. Bosses can't always say yes to a promotion for a variety of reasons. There may not be room in the budget for extra money and some organizations have rigid protocols for advancement. If your boss can't say yes at first, ask for a time-frame that spells out when your request might be granted. Schedule a time to revisit the issue with your boss at a future date.

Finally, remember the truism, "if you don't ask, you don't get" and be sure to go for a promotion or raise that you believe you deserve. For tips on securing a promotion, check out How to Ask for a Promotion in a Recession.

Do you have any promotion "don'ts" to share? What is the worse pitch for a raise or promotion that you've encountered? Share your thoughts here and at the Pendaflex Facebook page.

by Candie Harris

Does Your Boss Make Unreasonable Demands?

Community Manager — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 17:53:00 GMT

Virtually anyone who has ever collected a paycheck has struggled at one time or another with demands that seem unreasonable. There's the boss who habitually calls you in at 5:30pm for tasks knowing your must-depart-at-6pm-to-relieve-the-babysitter-deadline. Or a higher up who thinks nothing of calling and emailing requests 24/7.

It's unlikely that many people are asked to field calls from scorned wives while their bosses dally with subordinates as in this U.S. Today article. But plenty of employees have had their back-up-against-the-wall moments of feeling pushed to the limit.

Tired of trying to tackle the excessive, the extreme, and the awkward? The comprehensive article Coping with Unreasonable Demands lays out (in a flowchart!) great advice for addressing demands that seem unreasonable.

In a nut shell, the article describes working through the following steps when faced with a demand that seems unreasonable:

Check your information and assumptions: Do you clearly understand the scope of the demand? At first blush, a request may seem onerous but if you ask questions, you may learn the scope is smaller than you imagined or you have a longer deadline. You know what they say about jumping to conclusions didn't you? Make sure you have all your facts straight.
Consider the other person's perspective: If you're working at maximum capacity and are asked to add a project, this can seem unreasonable. But consider that your boss might not know what's on your plate. Sometimes being asked to work long hours can seem unreasonable but perhaps your new job has a different work culture than your old. Is everyone on the team burning the midnight oil? Perhaps late hours are reasonable in your new role.
Explain your perceptions assertively: When a demand is truly unreasonable, speak up and clearly and neutrally explain your viewpoint. Suggest solutions that may be amenable to both parties; you may find a receptive audience.
Agree or disagree, and managing the consequences: Not all unreasonable demands need to be met but you need to be aware of the consequences of not going along with a demand. Sometimes the consequence is so negative that it outweighs the unpleasantness of meeting the demand. And other times you will find that the consequence is not serious enough to warrant compliance. So professionally let your boss know why you won't be able to help at this time and be sure to let them know that you if your circumstance, or the request changes, that you'll be all ears.

How do you manage unreasonable demands from a boss? What is the most unreasonable demand you've encountered at work? Share your thoughts here and at the Pendaflex Facebook page.

Nail that Interview

Community Manager — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 17:22:00 GMT

Acing a job interview is a matter of style meeting substance: sound smart, look polished and you'll enjoy better odds of landing the position. Even if a job hunt isn't currently on your to-do list, you never know when opportunity will come knocking so read on for tips for conducting winning interviews.

Style Matters

First impressions are the only impressions that matter on a job interview. Rare is the candidate who gets a second chance to correct a bad impression. With that in mind, here are a few style pointers:

Be on time
Turn off your cell phone
Dress for success in a professional outfit and have pristine grooming
Body language talks. Be sure to exude confidence and poise.
Make eye-contact and demonstrate good listening skills by leaning in and nodding affirmatively

Substance Seals the Deal

Employers want to make good hires: convey the impression that you are trustworthy and have something to contribute to the company bottom-line and you will be that much closer to joining the team.

Look for opportunities to create affinity with your interviewer. Mirror their body language and try to build common ground in conversation.
Commonality should be more than "we-like-the-same-sports-team" chit chat. Look for similarities in work styles: are you leaders, list makers, consensus builders, detail oriented or big picture visionaries?
Come equipped with ideas of how you can move the company forward, not merely with descriptions of what you've done at your old job. Paint a picture as to why you can be relevant on their team.
Be prepared with a story about a failure or challenge you've overcome. These are typical interview questions and you want to be prepared, just be sure to make the lesson you learned the star of the story.

Finally, recognize that acing the first interview means you'll be facing a second or possibly third round of interviews. Don't make the mistake of phoning it in, prepare for each subsequent interview diligently. The more interview rounds, the greater the odds of a job offer, so carefully prepare, giving each interview your full energy and attention. The useful What to Expect on Second and Third Interview offers additional insight.

How do you prepare for an interview? Share your thoughts here by leaving us a comment!

by Candie Harris

The Leader Within

Community Manager — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 14:32:00 GMT

Think you have it in you to become the boss? Consider these five leadership traits from Entrepeneur.com and see how you stack up.

Vision: Effective leaders not only have a vision of where they're heading, they can communicate that goal and bring others along.

Passion: Effective leaders do what they love and love what they do. A leader's true commitment to their message, cause or company makes others willing to trust in that individual to chart an effective course.

Decision Making: The buck stops here. An effective leader can make the tough calls. A leader works to achieve group consensus when appropriate but can take sole responsibility when necessary.

Team Builder: If you're going to be a great leader, you need followers (aka there is no "I" in team.) Leaders designate effectively, encourage and promote their subordinates strengths and inspire teams to do great work. And when need be, leaders step in and guide by example.

Character: To thine own self be true. A great leader has strength of character: they know their strong suits (and weaknesses) and are not tempted by fads or expediency. A leader remains true to their essential character and can be trusted to remain constant.

Finally, remember that other qualities can be important leadership traits. Harvard Business Review blogger John Baldoni makes the case for humility as a leadership trait. Baldoni says
"A sense of humility is essential to leadership because it authenticates a person's humanity." Baldoni suggests that leaders, "Take pride in what you have done, but use it as a platform to bring people together to do greater things, e.g. increase sales, improve quality, or save the planet. Use your leadership for something other than self-aggrandizement."

What other traits might be useful leadership qualities? How do you define leadership? Can leadership traits be learned or are they innate? Share your thoughts here and at the Beyond Folders Facebook page.

by Bradley Eggers

Back-to-School Communications

Community Manager — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 13:22:00 GMT

Summer is a time of togetherness for many families. With the back-to-school season now in full swing keeping up communications becomes more of a juggle.

But as multi-tasking moms and dads know, juggling is just one of the many skills in the parenting arsenal. So take time to make time: schedule one-on-one time with each child in the family and set up regular family meetings.

Family meetings don't need to be formal; they can take place once a week at a family dinner or first thing Saturday mornings. Use this time to reconnect about important happenings during the week and for announcements that affect the whole family such as weekend plans or changes in chore schedules.

Once you've carved out time, use these tools to help make communication more effective:

Young children: Communicating positively with young children helps them develop confidence, self-worth, and good relationships. Try to get down on their level if you can. When giving commands or disciplining, avoid angry voices; try to use a neutral voice. For more tips on communicating with children, visit the Mr. Rogers' Family Communications resource guide for a wealth of tips.

Teens: Don't believe the hype; teens want to talk to their parents about sex, drugs and rock and roll as well as a host of other topics. Studies show that teens want to discuss these sensitive topics but don't know how so it's your job as a parent to get the communication going. For tips, check out Communicating with Teens by FamilyEducation.com.

Kitchen Command Center: Keep family members in the communication loop by setting up an effective kitchen command center. Color code calendars to keep track of various sports and social commitments for each family member and use a white board or chalkboard for messages. For more tips on setting up a command center, visit our past post "Is Your Kitchen Your Home Office?"

Finally, keep in mind that September is hurricane season in many parts of the country. The time to prepare for an emergency is before it happens; use this government guide to put in place a Family Communications plan for emergencies and review it with all family members: Ready.gov: Make a Family Communications Plan.

Do you have any tips for back-to-school communications? Share your thoughts here and on the Beyond Folders Community's Facebook and Twitter pages.

by Candie Harris

Take the Time to Understand Technology Use Policies

Community Manager — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 13:00:00 GMT

Learning how to use your new office-issued laptop or cell phone is no longer enough to keep you current in today's workplace. Today, we must understand when to use these devices.

If you've ever surfed the web at work or sent a personal e-mail or text from an office computer or mobile phone-and who hasn't?-you need to take the time to understand your office's policy of acceptable technology use.

Did you know that a quarter of employers have fired workers for misusing e-mail and nearly one third have fired employees for misusing the Internet? That statistic comes from the 2007 Electronic Monitoring & Surveillance Survey from American Management Association (AMA) and The ePolicy Institute. It's worth a read to see what other forms of technology use have landed employees in hot water.

Most corporate work environments have technology use policies in place. Consult with your human resources team or manager to be sure you're up-to-date. If your firm is small, and doesn't have protocols in place, encourage management to formalize guidelines.

Keep in mind that the landscape of what is acceptable and legal often shifts. The Supreme Court will soon decide if a California police department violated an employee's privacy when it inspected personal text messages he sent using a work-issued pager. Avid texters, and companies that issue handheld devices, will want to be well-informed about how the decision affects their workplace.

Workplaces need to minimize litigation, security and other risks. They also need to manage productivity. So scrutiny of employees' use of office technology is going to be an ever-present part of the modern workplace. Arm yourself with information to stay on track. That way, the next time you pick up your office-issued cell or get on the Internet, you can be confident that you're adhering to best practices in your usage.

Does your workplace have a clear cut policy on acceptable technology usage that you can share? What standards are most helpful in managing your day-to-day technology use? Share your thoughts here and on the Beyond Folders Community's Facebook and Twitter pages.

by Bradley Eggers

Constructive Complaining

Community Manager — Thu, 06 May 2010 13:19:00 GMT

To complain is human.

But, with the downturn in the economy and upswing in everyday pressures on-the-job, complaining has taken on a life of its own in the typical workplace. As a recent Wall Street Journal article titled Misery Poker: It's One Game Worth Losing observes: "As times get tougher, complaining is starting to look more like a blood sport than a coping mechanism. Stressed to the max and desperate for everyone to know it, many of us are trying to trump each other with our carping."

This steady stream of grumbles is not good for business. In fact, according to a post from the Chief Happiness Officer, it can be quite toxic since it:

Becomes habitual
Colors perception
Makes people despondent
Kills innovation
Thwarts relationships
Creates office factions
Promotes pessimism

To prevent and offset this environmental hazard in the workplace, we need to learn and encourage constructive complaining. When we complain constructively, we complain about:

The right thing
At the right time
To someone who can do something about it

We also engage in some honest self-scrutiny to make sure that our complaint is firmly grounded in some objective reality as opposed to our own irrationality.

According to an article that asks Can You Go 21 Days Without Complaining?, we can avoid making unconstructive complaints if we:

Write down what is bothering us
Consider what we can do to change the situation
Channel the complaint into a more productive response
Identify something positive about the scenario

In addition to the above suggestions, I always appreciate it, if when someone complains to me they take the time to offer a suggestion on how to fix the issue. In my opinion, this can be the most constructive use of complaining, because it can be used not only to vent, but to solve problems!

If you want to be a more constructive complainer, you can start the process by taking this Constructive Complaining Quiz. Feel free to share your results and feedback with us and the Beyond Folders Community.

by Candie Harris

Why Learning to Prioritize Should be At the Top of Everyone’s To-Do List

Community Manager — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 13:09:00 GMT

It is a familiar scenario. On any given work day, multiple projects and tasks come across our desks labeled "Top priority." We then go home to the embrace of family members who need X or Y right away and the cold stare of a pile of bills that are (almost) past due. With so many contenders competing for top spot on our daily to-do list, it is no wonder that we end up feeling stressed and burned out.

To de-stress and rekindle the flame of enthusiasm for our professional and home lives, we need to learn to prioritize. While making the best use of our time and resources might seem like a tall order, prioritization is a skill we all can master a step at a time.

As this MindTools article points out, you can start prioritizing based on one of three factors:

Value or profitability - Whether it involves a sophisticated valuation or a subjective guess, this is one of the more common, and rational, approaches to prioritizing projects and tasks
Time constraints - This approach is useful when others are depending on you to complete a task, especially one that is key to an important project
Pressure to complete - Before prioritizing a task or project on this basis, you should consider just how realistic and legitimate the pressure is, regardless of its source

The P.O.S.E.C. method is another practical approach to prioritizing work-life tasks. At its core is the premise that we can better handle whatever comes our way if we first pay attention to our everyday, personal responsibilities. This informative post from project management expert Mark Phillips depicts the method's hierarchical guideline as follows:

Prioritize -Your time and define your tasks by goals.
Organize -Things you have to accomplish regularly to be successful (everyday administrative tasks, attendance/punctuality, workspaces)
Streamline -Things you may not like to do, but have to do (specific project-related tasks you are not keen on)
Economize -Things you should do, or may even like to do, but that are not pressingly urgent (working on projects you enjoy, longer term projects, personal development and learning new skills)
Contributing - By paying attention to the things that make a difference, but do not necessarily have an immediate measurable benefit (added detail, consideration or kindness)

One technique that works for me is at the end of each work day, I make a list of things that I want to accomplish on the next day. This simple activity makes me think about my 'priorities', and in the morning I am ready to attack my list.

We want to hear from you. If you have a practical and proven way of prioritizing, please comment on it here or at our Beyond Folders Facebook page.

by Candie Harris

Imagining Life Unplugged

Community Manager — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 10:41:00 GMT

Since its premiere way back in 1989, MTV Unplugged has featured popular musicians performing acoustic versions of their electric repertoire (like this moving classic from Eric Clapton). I find the idea of unplugging to reconnect with the heart and soul of what we do and who we are very appealing.

But, it is also hard to imagine how this appealing idea can become a reality. Whether or not we are digital natives, many of us spend a huge amount of time tethered to our computers, smartphones and e-readers.

To give you a sense of things, according to a recent report, the average U.S. internet user spends about 68 hours online and visits nearly 2700 websites each month. We are also prolific smartphone users. So prolific that professors at M.I.T.'s Sloan School of Management have studied the affects of Blackberry overuse . Even the mainstream media alerts us to signs of smartphone addiction.

So, assuming we want to (and that is a big assumption), how do we make the break and unplug from technology - even for a little while? A post from the productivity blog Zen Habits offers a roadmap of sorts by detailing these 3 Ways To Claim Your Life Back:

Time yourself
Plan specific non-computer activities
Uninstall and remove unnecessary programs

You can also find some practical tips in this article on taking a vacation from speed and noise. Among the suggested escapes are:

Using foot power to get around
Setting no appointments, schedules or deadlines
Playing games
Reading books

We would love to field some real world tips and tools to share with everyone here. So, please let us know how you unplug from the technology in your life.

by Carly Fadako